Marquez hoping for podium after securing record breaking pole in Brno

20-08-2016

Marc Marquez has put on a great show so far this weekend, making a huge save during FP2 and then going on to achieve pole position with his record breaking pace... in traffic! The Spaniard is hoping to secure a podium at Brno.

What a weekend it has been so far for Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez ahead of the eleventh round of the MotoGP season at the Automotodrom Brno in the Czech Republic.

Amazing save from Marquez

It started yesterday during FP2; Marquez was seen wrestling his Honda around the circuit when he entered turn 13. He crashed… but rescued it… you would have to watch the footage to understand! Anyway despite his extremely near miss, Marquez went on to set the fastest time during FP2 and the fastest time overall on day one.

At the press-conference after qualifying Marquez was happy that he “saved a big crash”, what he referred to as “a big moment”, however he did not think it was as extraordinary as back in 2014.

Immediately after making the save he said the first thing he hoped for was that the camera was following him, and he was delighted to see he put on a “nice show for the fans”.

Lorenzo was the man to beat

Riders woke up to a blue sky this morning, the temperatures were an improvement on yesterday and the riders took to the track for FP3. Here Marquez could only manage third fastest behind Movistar Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo who broke the circuit record, but it was enough to secure him a place in Qualifying 2.

Marquez on form in Brno - Getty Images

The session got underway and Lorenzo took the lead setting the fastest lap. This made the Spaniard relax and little and towards the end of the session he seemed to be very subdued in the pit lane. This is when Marquez struck.

Last minute record breaking lap claimed pole for Marquez

Marquez picked up his pace and as the session came to an end Marquez’s time was two tenths of a second quicker than that of Lorenzo. He found traffic in front of him in the form of Movistar Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi who was chasing Pol Espargaro (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha).

He was able to use the two as a tow after he chased them, and as he approached the end of the lap he was forced to overtake Rossi on the inside, before going round the outside of Pol Espargaro. You cannot help but wonder he lost as much as he gained from the two, but either way he set the fastest lap of 1:54.596; which was the fastest lap ever achieved at Brno on a motorcycle.

63 pole positions in his career

The 2016 Czech GP will be Marquez’s sixty-third pole position so far; he matches Rossi and Lorenzo who have also had 63 pole positions… what are the chances?

Marquez said he was “happy with the pole” however he was “especially happy with the rhythm” he found himself in during FP4 as he was previously “struggling with the used tyre, especially in the morning”. He said that they “changed the setup” before FP4 and his lap times and pace improved so much it was “similar to Lorenzo”.

Preparing for FP4 after making changes - www.facebook.com (Marc Marquez)

Marquez is fighting for a podium and maybe a victory

The Spaniard thought before qualifying that “a front row would be a good result” as he knew Lorenzo’s “amazing” time would be hard to beat. He was “not sure that it was possible” to beat it but he said “I found the perfect lap”.

Despite having to make some “overtakes in the last corner” he felt he has “the smallest lift from Valentino” which he felt helped him “quite a lot” when it came to claiming “pole position”.

The forecast is not meant to be good for the Czech GP and rain is expected it to fall. Marquez said, “If it’s a dry race now I feel ready to fight.” His “minimum” target is to achieve a podium, however if he achieves that then he said, “We will see if we can fight for the victory.”